South Fire District awarded $115,000 federal grant

Press Release

Published
12:00 am EST, Sunday, February 19, 2012

WASHINGTON - The South Fire District in Middletown has been awarded $114,350 to improve operations and safety within the department, U.S. Sens. Joe Lieberman and Richard Blumenthal and U.S. Reps. John Larson and Rosa DeLauro announced last week.

The grant is funded through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Assistance to Firefighters Grant program. Middletown will use the award to purchase updated equipment and provide additional training to its first responders, officials said in a statement.

"Middletown's first responders have courageously answered the call to action with an unwavering commitment to their duty, time and time again," Lieberman said in a statement. "I am deeply honored to be able to announce this grant as a way of showing these brave men and women that their acts of valor have not gone unnoticed."

Blumenthal said the grant affirms the legislators' commitment to first responders and appreciation for their bravery.

"As we continue to get our fiscal house in order, I am heartened that support for our first responders, evidenced by this operations and safety grant for Middletown, continues to be a national priority," Blumenthal said.

Larson said the city's firefighters rose to the occasion after last Halloween's blizzard.

"These individuals are not just our first and only line of defense against the outbreak of deadly fires, but they are our friends, families and neighbors," Larson said. "Every day they put on the uniform they risk their lives to protect our own and they deserve the best equipment available."

DeLauro said these vital funds will help ensure that the first responders of the South Fire District have the support and the equipment that they need.

"I am enormously proud of South Fire's firefighters, and all of our first responders, and look forward to their continued good service," she said.

Since the FIRE and SAFER Acts were signed into law, FEMA has distributed 671 grants for a total of over $78 million in Connecticut to help fire departments strengthen their response capabilities.

Officials from the South Fire District did not return phone calls seeking comment.